And So To Antigua

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The great man's stadium was just about ready.

By Tristan Holme

I have to admit that leaving Jamaica was a bit of a heartbreaker.

My stay in Kingston had begun in acrimonious fashion, but when the time came to leave and I was forced to say goodbye to the two Irish fans I'd been staying with for the last week, the pangs of nostalgia came up in waves.

Luckily for me I was heading off to Antigua rather than back home and there's still lots of excellent cricket ahead, while Antigua has turned out to be even more relaxed and welcoming than Jamaica.

The white sandy beaches with turquoise waters that were missing in Kingston are back in abundance and I've been welcomed into the home of the Jacksons - a local family living in the seaside village of Five Islands, not far from the capital St John's.

The people in Antigua are all pretty happy with the way life is going, and it's no surprise given that they have weathered decades of hardship when the Bird family were in power and have now come out into the sunshine.

Sir Vere Cornwall Bird ruled Antigua like his own personal island from 1981 to 1994, only stepping down when his health began to fail. Of course any hopes that Antigua would be rid of dictatorship were ruined when his son, Lester Bird, stepped up to succeed him.

Another ten years of corruption and lack of public services followed before what had come to be known as 'the avery' was finally rid of the Bird family. Baldwin Spencer came to power on the back of the opposition's first parliamentary victory and he seems to be giving the country's people at least some thought in his decision-making.

However it's pretty clear that despite having a couple of weeks longer than some other venues to prepare for the World Cup, things are not quite as ready as they had hoped. Construction is still underway at the airport, Sir Vivian Richards Street is still receiving its makeover and the road out to the stadium named after the West Indian legend is still being upgraded.

The stadium itself is in the middle of absolutely nowhere, surrounded by open fields with goats and cattle. Getting there on a single lane road is a slow process, and the parking lot is about three kilometres from the ground itself. There is a shuttle service, but after missing out on it a long walk was in store for yours truly.

It turned out to be worth the effort though, as the brand new stadium did not disappoint. It could have done with another two weeks of preparation, but the design is great and even includes a paddle pond for folks in the party stand to have a splash-around in the heat of the day.

Of course there was little need for that on the opening day with the game being rained out after Australia had posted a mammoth total, but hopefully the local crowd will be treated to some master-blasting ala Sir Viv himself when play resumes on Wednesday.